The effects of binaural beats on attention, reading comprehension, and mood

Binaural beats have gained increasing interest from researchers, particularly regarding their potential effects on cognitive functions such as attention and memory. The present study explored the impact of different binaural beat frequencies (7 Hz, and 40 Hz) relative to a 0 Hz control sound on attention, reading comprehension memory, and mood. A within-subjects experimental design was used, with 48 participants completing a mood assessment, a reading comprehension task, and a global-local attentional processing task while listening to each of the three sounds. Sound order was counterbalanced across participants. The results suggested that 40 Hz binaural beats significantly enhanced reading comprehension accuracy and reduced accuracy differences between congruent and incongruent figures in the global-local task, consistent with a narrowed scope of attention. In contrast, the 7 Hz and control conditions showed no significant effects, and there were no notable effects on mood for any binaural beat sounds. The results are consistent with a neural entrainment mechanism, as gamma-band frequencies have been consistently associated with cognitive performance; however, more research is necessary to further explore and expand these findings.